Cupboard latch



July 10, 1928. 1.676.593

- A. F. WINTERS CUPBOARD LATCH Filed Jan. 19,- 1925 a Sheets -Sheet 1 [unanimmexoneriwinfers July 10, 1928.

A. F. WINTERS CUPBOARD LATCH 2 snags-sheet 2 Filed Jan. 19, 1925 Patented July 18, 1928.

ALEXANDER F. WINTERS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CUPBOARD LATCH.

Application filed January 19, 1825. Serial No 3,294.

This invention relates to latches, being particularly concerned with a very simple and inexpensive structure of latch of small size adapted to be used on cupboards, kitchen cabinets and like articles of furniture. The latch proper comprises but three parts, this including the spring for acting on the latch lever and the assembly of the parts may be done by hand, no pivots or rivets being present in the construction As a valuable feature of the construction, the latch is so made that on swinging it to an unlatching position to disengage from the keeper therefor, the latch lever is automatically caught and held in the unlatching position whereby when the door is closed, the spring does not have to be compressed as the lever rides over the keeper to engage therewith, but passes over the keeper. by reason of the position in which it is held, being automatically released as the door reaches closed position to engage with the keeper. This takes the strain off the door hinges and the screws used intastening the latch to the door, and there is no likelihood of the door not being closed as in the case where the latch lever must ride over. the keeper against the resistance of the spring. not doing so if the force applied in swinging the door shut is less invention is had from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the latch and keeper therefor, the latch being mounted on a door and the keeper onthe adjacent door under plan view.

3 is an inverted plan view of the latch, the ends of the latch lever being broken away.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the latch, the

1 lever being in transverse section.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the latch, andlongitudinally of the latch lever. F 1g. 6 is a perspective view 01": the latch lever.

Fig. 7 is an inverted latch housing.

I Fig. 8 is a plan view of the latch mechanism in slightly altered form, the outer side or top of the latch housing being broken away to disclose the interior construction.

Fig. 91s a transverse section therethrough.

Fig. 10 is an inverted plan view of the latch, showing the manner of assembling the latch lever with the housing, and

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the latch housing for the altered form of latch construction.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

The latch attached to the door 1, includes three parts, the latch housing, the lever and a spring, while the keeper attached to the adjacent door jainb includes but one part made from sheet metal. The housing is made from a single plate of sheet metal, pressed and drawn into a middle housing section 3 from each end of whichextensions 4 project having openings therethrough for passage of screws to attach the housing to the door 1 near the free vertical edge thereof. The housing. also includes spaced sides 5 and 6, inthe former of which a slot 7 is cut and in the latter of which a longer and wider slot 8 is cut, as shown. Joining with the slot 8 at one side and between the ends thereof is perspective of the notch or recess 9 and a part of the metal removed in forming the slot 8 is turned inwardly to make a ledge or bearing lug. 10 located at one edge of the recess 9 and at the inner side of the slot 8, as shown in Fig. 5. The latch lever 11 is formed from a flat bar of metal, at one end being off-set to make a keeper engaging part 12. Near the oppo-.. site end, a tongue is struck from the lever, as shown at 13. lying in a plane above and parallel to the plane of the lever. Between the tongue 13 and the part 12, a catch lug or boss 14 ispresscd from the. lever in a direction opposite the pressing of tongue 13. Between the tongue 13 and the lug or boss 14;, the lever is extended and widened to one side. making an arm 15 laterally off-set from the lever bar, integral with and projecting from which is a tongue 15 substantially paralleling the length of the latch lever bar. The end of the lever opposite the end 12 is formed so that a handle portion 16 may be secured thereto, said handle being of any rounded and preferred design for better appearance.

The lever is inserted through the slots 8 and 7 and the tongue 13 is brought to bear against the side 5 of the housing directly above the slot 7. A coiled spring 17 under compression is disposed between the arm 15 and the side 6 of the case, one end of the spring seating over the tongue 15 and the other over a projection 18 pressed inwardly from the said side 6. The handle 16 is secured to the latch lever after it has been thus mounted on the housing.

The latch is attached to the door 1 near the free vertical edge thereof, the end 12 of the latch lever extending past the edge of the door. On the door casing 2 a keeper 19 is fixed, the same comprising an outwardly extending member formed with a hook portion 20 with a vertical slot 21 back of the hook. The outer upper edge of the hook is formed with an upwardly and inwardly extending incline 20. Above the upper end of the slot, a projection 22 is provided on the keeper 19, the same lying back of the hook 20 and above the point or nose thereof.

By reason of the positioning of the tongue 13 in a plane above the plane of the line of force or the spring 17, not only is there a tendency to swing the lever in one direction about the pivotal bearing of the tongue 13 against the side 5 of the housing, but there is also a tendency to tilt the lever at the end 12 inwardly so as to bring the boss 14 against the bearing lug 10. When the lever is moved laterally so as to carry the boss 14 beyond the bearing lug 10 and over the re cess 9, the lever is tilted automatically so that the boss enters said recess and is positioned back of the edge of the bearing lug, the lever being held against return to its normal position.

\Vith the latch attached to the door, and the end 12 of'the lever received in the slot 21 of the keeper, the door is held shut. To open. the handle 16 is grasped and the lever turned to lift the end 12 out of the slot 21, and this moves the boss 14: to position to be received in the recess 9 and is then held by engagement of the boss 14 pressed against the stop interposed by the part 10. The lever is thus held all of the time that the door is open. When the door is closed, and has reached substantially closed position, the end 12 of the lever comes against the pro jection 22 on the keeper and the end 12 is moved outwardly far enough so that the boss 14 disengages from the part 10, the spring 17 thereupon movingthe lever end 12 into the slot 21 of the keeper back of the hook portion 20. If, at any time when the door is open, the lever should be inadvertently re leased from its engagement with the part 10, then when the door closed, the end 12 of the lever strikes against the inclined edge 20 of the keeper hook riding thereover until it reaches the slot. This seldom occurs and it is not expected to 0.;cur if the latch is properly operated. If it does, however, no detrimental results take place.

In Figs. 8 to 11 inclusive, a somewhat different form of structure is shown, and one which for some reasons is preferred. The housing, at the side 5 thereof, corresponding to the side 5 in the first described housing has a slot 7 at the middle of which a recess 7 is made at the lower side, as shown in Fig. 11, and the metal above the middle portion of said slot is pressed outwardly, as indicated at 23 whereby a seat or socket is made at the inner side of the housing. The latch lever 11 and the handle 16 are integral, said lever being formed with an upwardly struck and upwardly inclined tongue 13 which, at its free end, is formed so as to fit in the said seat made at 23. This latch lever may be passed through the slots 7 and 8 in the sides 5 and 6, respectively, the notch at 7" permitting the passage of the part 14, said slot 7 being only wide enough to pass the bar 11. The tongue 13 will spring or flex downward sufiiciently to pass through the slot 7 and after it has passed into the housing spring back into place so that its free end may seatin the socket made by the part 23 described. The spring 17 acting on the arm 15 on the lever holds the tongue in place in its seat.

This structure provides a fixed pivot seat for the tongue 13* and permits the making of the latch lever and handle of one piece of material. For these reasons, it is preferred, being a somewhat better construction than that first described and more economical to make and assemble. It has all of the advan tages of and Works in the same manner as the latch construction first described.

The latch structure described is very simple in construction, and practical and effective in use, being especially practical for manufacture of the parts and assembly thereof, so that in large quantity production, a very economical production is obtained. The invention is defined in the claims appendedhereto, and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within the scope of such claims.

I claim:

1. A latch construct-iomcomprising a latch housing having spaced apart slotted sides one of said slots having a recess disposed at right angles to the length of the slot joining therewith, a latch lever passing through the slots and formed With a part struck therefrom to bear against the inner side of one side of the housing, said lever also having a boss struck therefrom in the opposite direction and located so as to be received in said recess when moved to proper position, and spring means acting on said lever to turn it in one direction so that the boss is normally carried away from said recess, said means also acting to tilt the lever to automatically position the boss in said recess on movement of the lever against the force of the spring to a position such that the boss is brought to the recess, substantially as described.

2, In a latch construction, a latch housing having spaced apart parallel sides, one of said sides having a relatively narrow slot cut therethrough, and the opposite side having a wider and longer slot cut therethrough with which a recess cut in the same side of the housing joins at a point between the ends of the slot, a lever passing through said slots, said lever being formed with an outwardly projecting tongue which bears against the inner side of the first mentioned side of the housing above the relatively narrow slot therein, and said lever also being formed with an oppositely projected boss located so as to traverse the wider slot, an arm extending laterally from the lever, and a coiled spring under compression disposed between said arm and the last named side of the housing to turn the lever so as to normally move said boss away from the recess and also tilting the lever so as to move said boss into the recess when the lever is moved sufficiently to bring the boss to said recess, substantially as described.

3. In a latch construction, a housing having spaced apart sides each with a slot therethrough, a latch lever passing through said housing at the slots thereof, said housing at one side over the slot therein being formed with an outwardly pressed socket and said lever adjacent said side of the housing being formed with an outwardly pressed tongue inclined to the plane of the lever, the end of the tongue seating in said socket, and spring means acting on the lever normally tending to hold the lever in one position.

4. In a latch construction, a housing having spaced apart sides each with a slot therethrough, a latch lever passing through said housing at the slots thereof, one of said slots being only slightly wider than the thickness of said lever, a tongue stamped from said lever and extending outwardly therefrom at an acute angle relative to its surface, said tongue being adapted to pass through said narrow slot by yielding toward the lever as the lever is pushed through the slot and to spring outward away from the lever within the casing said tongue engaging the inner side of the casing and serving as a pivot for said lever, and spring means acting on the lever to yieldably hold it in one position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALEXANDER F. WINTERS. 

